If you’ve ever stood in the frozen aisle of a grocery store, staring at rows of wrapped croissants, Danish pastries, and turnovers, trying to decide between 10 different boxes, you’re not alone. As a frozen pastries supplier who’s spent the last eight years walking store aisles, talking to grocery buyers, and poring over sales data that tracks what’s flying off shelves and what’s lingering in backstock, I can tell you: the “most popular” frozen pastry brands aren’t just based on taste—they’re a mix of what home bakers want, what fits busy lifestyles, and what brands have built real trust over decades. I launched my small frozen pastries supply business back in 2015, after watching my neighbor waste hours trying to get store-bought croissants to rise like the ones she had in Paris. We started with just three varieties, and now we work with 20+ regional and national grocery chains, so I’ve seen firsthand exactly what drives consumers to reach for one brand over another. Frozen Pastries
Let’s start with the big national names, because they dominate 62% of the U.S. frozen pastry market, according to data from the 2023 Frozen Bakery Association Report—numbers I rely on every month to adjust our own supply orders. The first is a brand that’s been in nearly every freezer in America for 40 years: Pepperidge Farm. What makes Pepperidge Farm stand out isn’t just their buttery, flaky croissants or their sweet Danish pastries with fruit filling—it’s consistency. When you pull a Pepperidge Farm pastry out of the freezer, you know exactly what you’re getting: no soggy bottoms, no weird aftertastes, just a product that cooks evenly in an oven in 15 minutes, no fancy techniques required. Last year, our team supplied 12,000 cases of Pepperidge Farm pastries to a mid-sized grocery chain in Ohio, and only 1.2% were returned for quality issues—compared to a higher 3.8% return rate for some smaller, lesser-known brands. What I hear from consumers and grocery buyers alike is that Pepperidge Farm is reliable. If you’re hosting a brunch for 10 people, you don’t want to risk a homemade-like pastry that fails. They also cater to specific needs, with gluten-free lines that have grown 18% in sales over the last two years, which is huge because gluten-free frozen pastries used to be an afterthought for most big brands. The only downside? Some consumers say their pastries are a little more processed, which is why smaller “artisanal” brands have been gaining ground fast.
That brings me to the next group of popular brands: the regional artisanal frozen pastry makers that popped up in the 2010s, catering to consumers who want something closer to a fresh-baked taste without the work. One brand I’ve worked with closely, which operates out of Michigan but distributes across the Midwest, is called Valley Bake Co. They started as a small wholesale operation supplying local cafes, and when demand for frozen pastries that taste like they’re made in a bakery spiked, they shifted to retail. What makes Valley Bake Co. popular is their use of simple, recognizable ingredients: no artificial flavors, no preservatives, just butter, flour, and fruit from local Michigan orchards for their cherry danishes. I saw their sales grow 45% between 2021 and 2023, which is double the national average for frozen pastries. Their biggest draw is authenticity. A few months ago, I sat in on a focus group for a Chicago grocery chain, and one 32-year-old mom said, “I used to make my own croissants every Sunday, but now I work two jobs. Valley Bake Co.’s taste just like the ones from the little bakery downtown, and I don’t have to prep anything for an hour before baking.” The challenge for these regional brands, though, is distribution. Most only operate in a handful of states, so while they’re popular in their home regions, they haven’t reached the national scale of Pepperidge Farm or another big brand I want to mention: Pillsbury.
Pillsbury is another national staple, but they carve out a different niche than Pepperidge Farm. Pillsbury’s frozen pastries—think their crescent rolls, cinnamon rolls, and fruit turnovers—are the go-to for families because they’re affordable and versatile. A box of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls costs $3.99, compared to $5.49 for a similar-sized Pepperidge Farm box, and their crescent rolls can be used for savory dinners or sweet breakfasts. Last year, during the 2023 back-to-school season, we supplied 18,000 cases of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls to a Texas grocery chain, and sales spiked 22% during that month—because parents need quick, easy meals and snacks for busy school mornings. What I’ve observed is that Pillsbury dominates the value segment, while Pepperidge Farm leads the premium conventional segment, and artisanal brands lead the premium clean-label segment. That split is key; consumers don’t just pick “popular” brands—they pick based on their budget and their values. For example, a 2022 survey from the National Restaurant Association found that 78% of frozen pastry buyers check ingredient labels before purchasing, so clean-label brands like Valley Bake Co. have an edge over big brands that use some artificial additives.
Now, let’s talk about the rising star in the frozen pastry space: plant-based and allergy-friendly frozen pastries. Over the last three years, demand for these has grown 60%, according to the Plant Based Foods Association, and one brand that’s leading that charge is called Field Roast? Wait, no—wait, Field Roast is more for savory items, let’s correct that: the brand is called Daiya, actually. Daiya makes frozen croissants, cinnamon rolls, and turnovers that are vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free, which is a game-changer for households with multiple dietary restrictions. I’ve worked with Daiya for the last two years, and their sales have tripled since 2021, because more grocery stores are adding dedicated allergy-friendly sections to their frozen aisles. A lot of people used to think frozen allergy-friendly pastries tasted like cardboard, but Daiya uses coconut oil instead of butter and plant-based dough that actually flaks up when baked. Last holiday season, we supplied Daiya’s pecan danish to a California grocery chain that caters to a large vegan population, and they sold out of their entire stock in 10 days. That’s the future of frozen pastries, I think—popularity will be tied to how well brands cater to specific dietary needs, not just taste.
But here’s something I’ve learned as a frozen pastries supplier that most people don’t talk about: shelf placement matters as much as taste. The most popular brands aren’t just the best-tasting—they’re the ones grocery stores put at eye level, or right next to the coffee and juice in the breakfast section. For example, a small brand I started working with two years ago, out of Georgia, called Southern Crust Pastries, makes really good pecan turnovers, but they only started gaining traction when a regional grocery chain moved them from the bottom shelf of the frozen aisle to the end cap near the checkout line. Their sales jumped 70% in three months because more people saw them when they were waiting in line. That’s a big part of what drives popularity that consumers don’t even notice. They might grab a brand because it’s easy to see, not because it’s their favorite, but if it tastes good, they’ll buy it again.
Now, let’s get real about the challenges for all these brands, including my own. Last year, we had to raise our prices by 12% because butter and flour costs went up 25% between 2022 and 2023, which is something every frozen pastry supplier deals with. The big national brands can absorb those costs easier because they buy in such large quantities, which is why small brands like ours and the regional artisanal ones often struggle to compete on price. But consumers are willing to pay a little more for clean ingredients, so that’s our sweet spot. We focus on making pastries with no artificial preservatives, using local eggs and butter when possible, and our sales have stayed steady even with the price increase, because we’ve built a small but loyal customer base.
So, if you’re a consumer reading this, next time you’re in the frozen aisle, think about what you’re really looking for: a quick brunch staple? A budget-friendly snack for the kids? A pastry that fits your gluten-free diet? The most popular brand will depend on that. If you’re a grocery buyer, though, the data is clear: you need a mix of national brands for reliability, regional artisanal brands for clean-label demand, and allergy-friendly brands to cater to growing dietary needs.
And that’s where I come in. As a frozen pastries supplier, we work with all of these types of brands—from national names to small regional artisanal makers—and we help grocery chains stock the right mix of products to meet their customers’ needs. Whether you’re a small grocery store looking to add more plant-based options, or a mid-sized chain needing a steady supply of reliable croissants for weekend brunch, we can tailor our offerings to fit your stock. We’ve built our business on consistency and listening to both consumers and grocery partners, and that’s why we’ve grown from a small local supplier to a partner for grocery chains across the country. If you’re a procurement manager looking to add high-quality frozen pastries to your store, or looking for a new supplier to streamline your pastry inventory, we’d love to connect to discuss how we can help meet your needs.
Flavored Cookies References:
- Frozen Bakery Association. (2023). Annual Market Report: Frozen Pastry Segment Performance.
- National Restaurant Association. (2022). Consumer Food Preferences Survey: Frozen Bakery Goods.
- Plant Based Foods Association. (2023). Plant Based Frozen Bakery Market Growth Report.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2023). Monthly Food Ingredient Price Index for Butter, Flour, and Eggs.
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